EVERY Billboard #1 hit discussion thread 1958-Present

Karen Carpenter is one of the great singers in pop history. Reddy, not so much. Not that I don't like Helen Reddy - I actually do (saw her live about 6 years ago - her advancing senility was already apparent and she couldn't remember the lyrics to "You And Me Against The World" anymore, poor thing, although her voice seemed great for her age). It's just that she was no Karen.

But then, who is...

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I kinda think anyone with a decent voice could have had hits with any of Reddy’s singles. Not true at all with the better Carpenter songs. And I liked Reddy too, but not for her voice particularily, but for the songs themselves.

Re: Carpenters "Please Mr. Postman"-not my favorite Carps song by a long shot, but it is what it is. As was previously mentioned it's hard to believe "Only Yesterday" never hit the top.
Re: Neil Sedaka "Laughter In The Rain"-a beautiful pop song I still like today. 1975 is gonna be a big year.

It's not quite a nasal sound to me though because it's a little too rich for that. Nasal tends to be a bit tinny, which Reddy (and Alicia Bridges, etc.) weren't. To me it sounds more like singing from the top of the throat instead of from the diaphragm.

It's not quite a nasal sound to me though because it's a little too rich for that. Nasal tends to be a bit tinny, which Reddy (and Alicia Bridges, etc.) weren't. To me it sounds more like singing from the top of the throat instead of from the diaphragm.

Keep in mind also with "LITR" and Sedaka's other "new" tracks (one of which we'll get to some time from now), Rocket only issued his material in the U.S. In Canada, he was still on Polydor. Not even its U.S. division would have touched him when Elton stepped in.

No memory of this one from the time, and not one of my favorite oldies from the period. Should be right up my alley, but isn't. I kinda find it dull. Surprised this made it all the way to #1 on the pop charts.

I love the irony of having Helen Reddy introduce these guys on the Midnight Special. She sounds like a female Edward G. Robinson in her introduction.

How do I count the MANY, MANY things I love about this performance?...the Acoustic Amps (although I loved it when they had Orange Amps behind them), the matching denim outfits, the Mosrite Doubleneck guitar, Sugar freakin' Foot, the riffs, the groove, the afros, the dancing and dancers, the "flame" graphics on the screen...

No memory of this one from the time, and not one of my favorite oldies from the period. Should be right up my alley, but isn't. I kinda find it dull. Surprised this made it all the way to #1 on the pop charts.

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This was a huge hit! Too bad the white-bread "good-time, great oldies" radio won't play it.

One chart anomaly that continued in 1975 was the appearance of a Eurovision song for a third consecutive year. Before and since, the American record buying public didn't seem to pay much mind to Eurovision songs, but starting with "Eres Tu", and rolling on through "Waterloo"... 1975 saw yet another Eurovision winner hit the top 40. It would happen again in 1976, and then not again.

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Never heard it before, or even heard of it. It's basically an Abba clone, and IMHO suffers from those great failings of '70s pop hits: too fast, and not enough reverb. That said, I don't dislike it or like it; it's just too blah for either.

Wow...lots of you hadn’t heard it. I remember it well, along with an old wives tale story that some were stupid enough to think it possible. And I was one of them. There is a scream about half way in. The rumor? A woman was actually killed during the recording. I was in Jr High. And I sort of thought it could be true. I can’t believe I’m confessing that. However, if I heard it the rumor was pretty well circulated. If memory serves, Casey even talked about it on an AT40 show (I have all of them I purchased from someone on a harddrive...from show one until well after Casey left...how geeky is that)! I’m sure he firmly debunked it but I don’t recall exactly what he said. Anyway, it’s quite a scream and probably what someone would sound like if that happened. How that rumor could have become so well known without the internet is quite baffling, especially considering how absurd it was in hindsite. But to a kid, sounded real enough! It is way far back in the mix, and I didn’t know anything about the recording process so what the heck, maybe it was accidentally left in the recording! Ha, the things we could believe at that age!

Anyway, I have tried to get into the Ohio Players and even bought a couple albums on vinyl, but I guess I can’t get into hard core funk. But that song was always an okay listen for me. I did, and do, like Kool & The Gang a lot more, but there music is a bit more accessible imo.

Wow...lots of you hadn’t heard it. I remember it well, along with an old wives tale story that some were stupid enough to think it possible. And I was one of them. There is a scream about half way in. The rumor? A woman was actually killed during the recording. I was in Jr High. And I sort of thought it could be true. I can’t believe I’m confessing that. However, if I heard it the rumor was pretty well circulated. If memory serves, Casey even talked about it on an AT40 show (I have all of them I purchased from someone on a harddrive...from show one until well after Casey left...how geeky is that)! I’m sure he firmly debunked it but I don’t recall exactly what he said. Anyway, it’s quite a scream and probably what someone would sound like if that happened. How that rumor could have become so well known without the internet is quite baffling, especially considering how absurd it was in hindsite. But to a kid, sounded real enough! It is way far back in the mix, and I didn’t know anything about the recording process so what the heck, maybe it was accidentally left in the recording! Ha, the things we could believe at that age!

Anyway, I have tried to get into the Ohio Players and even bought a couple albums on vinyl, but I guess I can’t get into hard core funk. But that song was always an okay listen for me. I did, and do, like Kool & The Gang a lot more, but there music is a bit more accessible imo.

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I think the most important thing to remember is that before the internet we didn't know there would BE an internet. We just spread our nutty theories in person and it worked fine. I'm thinking you are close to my age (49) so this is NOT a put down, as I think you're in that wheelhouse, but people TALKED back then. Worked wonders

Let's take a look at the song that bracketed the Top 10 the week Fire was #1. Sir Monty Rock III was the alias of Joseph Mantanez who does lead vocal duties on the disco/pop confection Get Dancin'. When I say lead vocals I mean that in the loosest sense since he basically serves as a crazed, 70s version of a RuPaul's drag race contestant exhorting everyone to well, Get Dancin'!, all while alternating moans, groans and faux Spanish sounding gibberish And this guy was all over the various talk shows of the time, even scoring a part in Saturday Night Fever. It's a fun, well done novelty that signaled the hedonistic culture that Disco would eventually embrace and celebrate.